It is wild that this game not only exists at all but was as successful as it turned out to be. It is every bit as strange and beautiful as the previous NieR, with wonderful characters in 2B and 9S. It is tragic game about human nature and the emotions that come with it like fear, love, and hate. Even more so than 2017's Doki Doki Literature Club, it is a story that could only be properly told in the video game medium. Multiple endings serve as different perspectives and chapters to the story, and the game is filled with so many little vignettes that serve as observations on different weird aspects of human nature. Scenes like Romeos and Juliet, the arc of The Wandering Couple, and most of all Pascal’s arc and his village are a few examples of this. The soundtrack is as amazing as composer Keiichi Okabe and his team’s previous works, NieR and Drakengard 3. Pieces like Peaceful Sleep, Voice of no Return, and Birth of a Wish are stunning. Lastly, the finale is just as good as Drakengard 3’s if not better and every bit as special.

Beyond its philosophical musings, NieR Automata urges us to remember that games are not silly little things, and that you should never give up when something is difficult, and that it is okay to rely on others for help from time to time. It’s the type of game that comes around once a generation, and I’ll remember it for a long time.